Participants: John Lomacang
Series Code: ASHF
Program Code: ASHF000032
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00:20 Hello, friends, and welcome to another Wednesday night
00:23 A Sharper Focus Bible study 00:25 here in Thompsonville, Illinois, 00:27 at the 3ABN Worship Center. 00:29 I know, if you've been tuning in before you may have heard. 00:31 I thought they were in West Frankfort. 00:32 Well, they are. 00:34 And, but the church is in Thompsonville. 00:35 If you lived here, that's just about a breath away 00:38 across just simply one street. 00:40 But thank you for tuning in tonight. 00:41 We have a wonderful continual study on the "Power of Prayer." 00:46 And then we're gonna dive into a lesson entitled, 00:49 "Face the Challenges." 00:51 There are lots of challenges in our world today. 00:53 And what we need to know is where we stand 00:55 in the light of God's measurement. 00:58 And we will discover that the challenges 01:00 that we face are minimal 01:02 compared to what God can do in our lives. 01:05 So for the next hour, get your Bibles, 01:06 get your friends, 01:08 get your family, and get your pens, 01:10 and sit down, 01:11 and go through the study with us. 01:13 If you'd like a copy of the lesson, 01:14 go to asf.3abn.org, 01:18 don't put www. 01:20 You won't find it. 01:21 Just asf.3abn.org and download lesson number 10 01:27 and then lesson number 11, 01:29 which catches you up to the lesson 01:31 we're gonna cover right after we finished 01:33 the one on the Power of Prayer. 01:35 We only have three questions remaining in the lesson 01:37 that we continued from on our last broadcast. 01:41 And we promise you that 01:43 with the presence of the Lord here, 01:45 we're gonna have a wonderful study tonight. 01:47 So let's invite the Lord's presence 01:49 by bowing our heads. 01:50 Father in heaven tonight, 01:52 we thank You so much for Your goodness, 01:54 for Your mercy. 01:56 We thank You for Your Word. 01:57 Every time we open the Bible, 01:59 we always come away 02:01 with a deeper understanding than we had 02:03 when we peered into its pages. 02:05 And so, Lord, tonight 02:07 as we look through that small slice of time 02:09 into the Word of God 02:10 that is really beyond our complete comprehension. 02:13 We pray that Your Holy Spirit will be our teacher, 02:16 and our guide. 02:17 And as You open our hearts and minds, 02:20 may our understanding be expanded. 02:22 May our dedication to You be increased. 02:25 In Jesus' name we pray. 02:27 Amen. 02:29 We also sing our song, 02:31 our theme song is "Victory in Jesus" 02:32 because we're talking about still, 02:34 how to live a spiritual life in what kind of body? 02:38 In a natural body. 02:39 That's what we are called to do 02:41 until the Lord comes and changes this vile body 02:44 into His glorious body. 02:46 We all have to live a spiritual life 02:48 in a natural body. 02:49 So tonight join us if you know the song, 02:51 we're gonna sing our song, "Victory in Jesus." 03:02 I heard an old, old story 03:06 How the Savior came from glory 03:10 How He gave His life on Calvary 03:13 To save a wretch like me 03:17 I heard about His groaning 03:21 Of His precious blood's atoning 03:25 Then I repented of my sin 03:29 And won the victory 03:31 Kind of victory. 03:33 O victory in Jesus 03:36 My Savior forever 03:40 He sought me and bought me 03:44 With His redeeming blood 03:47 He loved me ere I knew Him 03:51 And all my love is due Him 03:55 He plunged me to victory 03:59 Beneath the cleansing flood 04:03 I heard about a mansion 04:07 He has built for me in glory 04:10 And I heard about the streets of gold 04:14 Beyond the crystal sea 04:18 About the angels singing 04:21 And the old redemption story 04:25 And some sweet day I'll sing up there 04:29 The song of victory 04:32 Chorus. 04:33 O victory in Jesus 04:37 My Savior forever 04:40 He sought me and bought me 04:44 With His redeeming blood 04:48 He loved me ere I knew Him 04:52 And all my love is due Him 04:55 He plunged me to victory 04:59 Beneath the cleansing flood 05:03 He plunged me to victory 05:07 Beneath the cleansing flood 05:14 Isn't that wonderful? Amen. 05:16 Tonight we're gonna talk about The Power of Prayer. 05:20 I'm a New Yorker 05:22 and I can't hide from that reality, that fact. 05:25 I remember, 05:27 my sister, I speak to her almost every day 05:29 and she works for the City of New York. 05:32 And every now and then I get a glimpse 05:34 of the New World Trade Centers that are going up. 05:37 In our mindful of the fact 05:38 that when the World Trade Centers were hit, 05:41 communication for a large part was completely wiped out. 05:46 In Manhattan, that is by far many cell phones 05:49 just ceased to work. 05:51 Whatever tower was listed, 05:53 was built on the top of the World Trade Center 05:56 instantly ceased to function. 05:59 And communication was naturally cut off. 06:02 Even police radios to a large degree 06:04 couldn't communicate with each other 06:05 because the communication devices, 06:07 the antennas on the top of the World Trade Center, 06:10 as you know, were damaged, destroyed, 06:12 especially when the buildings came down. 06:14 And people had devices in their hands 06:16 but they just couldn't get through. 06:18 They couldn't communicate with each other. 06:20 They made phone calls, they did everything, 06:21 they did the day before, but nothing went through. 06:24 Because the central point of communication, 06:27 the World Trade Center's building 06:29 was brought down to the ground. 06:31 And when you think about communication, 06:33 today, we all rely on communication devices. 06:35 I think we're the most connected generation ever. 06:38 We are, I would refer to as the iGeneration. 06:41 At least that's what Apple wants us to think. 06:44 The iGeneration, the iPhone, the iPad, the iPad Mini, 06:47 the I, I, I, I. 06:50 On the other side, they're the droiders, 06:52 sounds like a word from another planet, 06:54 the droid, the generation. 06:56 So the communication races between the droiders, 06:59 and the iPaders, and the iPhoners. 07:03 But people wanna communicate, 07:05 that's the most natural thing to do nowadays. 07:08 People are texting. 07:10 People are making phone calls. 07:12 People are messaging each other. 07:14 People live on the internet, they wanna communicate. 07:17 We have Facebook, we have MySpace, 07:19 we have the Twitter generation word that did not exist 07:22 not too long ago, twit, a Tweet, 07:24 tweet, it was something that a bird did, 07:26 not what humans did. 07:28 And so we are in this generation 07:31 where we just wanna communicate. 07:32 But I'm glad to report tonight that there is no damage 07:37 in the World Trade Centers of the universe. 07:39 That's where Jesus is, can you say amen? 07:42 There's no damage there. 07:43 There's been an attack long time ago, 07:45 but Satan was ineffective in bringing down 07:47 God's major communication device. 07:50 So there's this open communication 07:51 between us and God, 07:53 which gives us the assurance 07:54 that when we call on God, 07:56 we will get our prayers through. 07:57 Now when you think about God's communication device, 08:01 I wanna go to our first question 08:02 for tonight. 08:04 And when I say first question, 08:05 we are actually starting on question number 17. 08:07 Question number 17. 08:09 And we're gonna look and see why, 08:12 why the communication center of heaven is still functioning? 08:18 There's a way that we get our prayers through 08:20 that Satan is completely ineffective 08:22 to block, to bar, to hinder. 08:25 Let's look at question number 17, 08:28 which begins as follows. 08:30 How can we have the assurance 08:32 that our prayers will be heard? 08:39 Even in my local home phone, 08:40 sometimes I'm calling someone 08:42 and if I fail to dial 618, 08:45 this operator comes on and says, 08:47 if you'd like to make a call, 08:49 please check the number and dial again 08:50 or check the area code number. 08:52 And so even though we all live in the 618 area code down here, 08:57 just a matter of distance away, 08:58 you have to either not included or included. 09:02 And so it gets kind of discombobulated 09:06 when you think about it, but when we pray, 09:08 you don't have to add a prefix. 09:10 You don't have to add a suffix, 09:12 you don't have to go back to the days 09:14 that some of our older members may remember, 09:18 sad to see I remember too. 09:19 I don't know what's happening to me, I must be aging. 09:22 But back then, when we used to put St's first two letters, 09:27 Sterling 7 or Sterling 9, 09:29 before we had the actual numbers 09:32 that were there. 09:34 But the Lord has put in place a system that makes sure 09:36 that our prayers get through. 09:38 And we find that in Romans 8:26. 09:41 Let's look at that together. 09:43 Romans 8:26, is where the answer is found. 09:45 And here it is. 09:47 The Bible says, 09:49 "Likewise," the who? 09:52 "The Spirit also helps in our," what? 09:56 "Weaknesses. 09:58 For we do not know 09:59 what we should pray for as we ought, 10:02 but 10:04 the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us 10:08 with groanings which cannot be," what? 10:11 "Cannot be uttered." 10:13 In other words, the Holy Spirit has a way of communicating 10:14 with the Godhead 10:16 that we are incapable of duplicating. 10:19 So you think about somebody says, 10:21 and I heard a communication, 10:22 a professor one say 10:23 that if we could use a device that will allow us 10:26 to see all the waves 10:28 that are going through the air. 10:29 I forgot what they call those devices, 10:31 they're able to see the infrared waves, 10:33 the blue waves, the green waves, all kind. 10:36 They said, if we will see all the waves 10:37 that are traveling through the air right now 10:39 we'd duck 10:41 and try to pace ourselves as close to the flow as we can 10:44 because it's coming at us from every direction. 10:47 If you turn your radio on, 10:49 and you start flipping through the channels, 10:51 they all start coming in eventually. 10:53 If you program in your car, you're a Sirius satellite, 10:56 you could be driving 75 miles an hour, 10:58 and it's following you wherever you go. 11:01 And that's how prayer is. 11:03 There's no place where we are that we are out of reach of God 11:07 when it comes to prayer. Amen? 11:09 Because the Holy Spirit, 11:11 who knows not only our hearts, 11:13 but knows the heart of God, 11:14 He intercedes with groanings 11:17 which cannot be uttered. 11:18 In other words, have you ever prayed? 11:19 Let me ask the question, and maybe 11:21 you can answer the question, but answered at home. 11:24 How many times have you prayed and your mind is so confused, 11:28 that you pray and you finish your prayers? 11:30 I don't even know if God's gonna hear that 11:32 'cause I mean, I don't even know 11:33 what I asked Him for. 11:35 We some time are challenged by what we're praying for, 11:37 especially when we're in a crisis moment, 11:39 especially when we're in a moment of illness, 11:42 especially when somebody that we care about and love 11:45 is in a crisis. 11:46 And we come to their aid instantly, we say, 11:48 well, let's just pray. 11:50 And you try to gather your thoughts. 11:52 But what we have here the assurance is, 11:53 the Holy Spirit is there. 11:56 And as we pray as we open our hearts 11:57 and begin to pray, 11:59 the Holy Spirit helps in our weaknesses. 12:01 That means when our prayers are weak, 12:05 that means in our human frailty, 12:08 our prayers can't get any higher 12:09 than the ceiling. 12:11 But the Holy Spirit takes those prayers 12:13 and puts with a divine ingredient 12:16 that man cannot include. 12:18 That's why it says with groanings, 12:21 which cannot be uttered. 12:24 And then he sends that forth. 12:26 I refer to that as a knee-mail. 12:30 Since that forth, 12:31 as we bow our knees before, 12:33 since that forth, 12:34 and heaven receives it. 12:36 And I remember many years ago, 12:39 somebody told me about this movie, 12:41 I never saw it. 12:42 But they told me about. 12:44 Oh, I forgot the name of it. 12:46 I didn't see it 'cause, you know, 12:47 when I heard the title of it, 12:48 I didn't want to watch it anyway. 12:50 It's about somebody claiming to be God, 12:54 I forgot that funny comedian actor's name. 12:58 Carrey, 13:01 Jim Carrey, he's supposed to be God, 13:02 and he was answering all these emails. 13:08 Something Almighty. 13:09 When I heard the title, I thought, you know, 13:10 that's not what I'm gonna be watching 13:12 Bruce Almighty 13:13 'cause it's God Almighty, right? 13:15 It is certainly you just don't watch, right? 13:18 I mean, lowering God to the standard of a comedian. 13:21 But somebody had told me, "Man, you should have seen that." 13:23 I said, "Well, what was so funny about?" 13:24 He said, "He's answering everybody's prayers." 13:26 I said, "How was he doing that?" 13:28 Just hit the computer 13:30 respond and the world just got chaotic 13:33 because he was answering everybody's prayers. 13:35 He didn't answer it according to their needs. 13:36 He just answered it 13:39 because he got so overwhelmed. 13:41 And I thought to myself, 13:43 that's not how God is. 13:44 When the Holy Spirit hears our prayers, 13:46 not only does He help our weaknesses, 13:48 but He allows that prayer to be answered, 13:50 according to our N-E-E-D. What does that spell? 13:54 According to our need. 13:56 So it says, I know what you mean, 13:57 just like a child 13:59 when he cries out or like Chernobyl, 14:02 you know, we have some church members, 14:04 little daughter, you could tell wherever she is, 14:06 you hear that scream. 14:07 And she's a little small thing, 14:09 probably a few ounces. 14:10 But she's got a scream that's about 50 pounds heavy. 14:14 And she could communicate wherever she is. 14:16 And that's how God is, wherever His children cry out, 14:20 He can hear us 14:21 and the Holy Spirit packages that 14:23 and gets us through with groanings 14:25 which cannot be uttered. 14:27 It has that divine connection. 14:28 So that's the assurance that we have 14:30 that our prayers will be heard. 14:31 The assurance is not the human element. 14:34 But the assurance is the divine element. 14:37 All right, let's go to the next one. 14:40 Number 18. 14:42 What simple instruction are we given 14:45 concerning the frequency of prayer? 14:48 Now we're not talking about AM and FM frequency, 14:51 we're talking about the regularity of prayer. 14:54 Okay, what simple instruction are we given? 14:56 We're gonna go to 1 Thessalonians 5:17. 15:00 In this case, the question is longer than the answer. 15:04 For those of you, you know, what frequency? 15:06 In other words, how often should we pray, 15:08 you read in the Bible, that Daniel, 15:10 at least according to his pattern, 15:12 prayed how many times a day? 15:13 He prayed three times a day. That was his pattern. 15:16 I would say that, 15:18 that was his morning, his afternoon, 15:20 and his evening prayer. 15:21 Those were traditional in his life, 15:23 but they were not the run in the mill kind of prayer. 15:26 They were sincere prayers. 15:27 He didn't just say, okay, 15:29 like some people will pray in the morning, 15:31 at the noon time, in the afternoon. 15:33 But I'm sure that Daniel also prayed before he ate. 15:36 But the reason why I pointed out those prayers 15:38 is because those were the prayers that were on... 15:41 Those were the prayer aspects of his life 15:44 that were a pattern, his daily prayer. 15:46 And if you pray at least three times a day, 15:48 you get answers. 15:49 You'll stay in touch with God. 15:51 If somebody called you at least three times a day, 15:55 now no young people do that. 15:57 Young girls can call their friends all day long. 16:00 Every time they call and they have something new 16:01 to talk about. 16:03 Right? 16:04 Communication, texting all day, 16:05 I see kids with their texting sometimes, 16:07 who you talking to, 16:09 the same person they talked to four hours ago, 16:10 and see what else do they come up with. 16:13 But somehow they come up with something new. 16:15 But when you think about the frequency of people, 16:16 if people can text all day long, 16:19 and people can make phone calls sometimes 16:21 to the same person all day long. 16:24 What simple instruction are we given concerning 16:25 the frequency of our prayers? 16:28 Let's read this together. It's a very long text. 16:31 I hope you can get over. Are we ready? 16:33 Here we go on the count of three. 16:35 One, two, three. What does it say? 16:36 Pray without ceasing. 16:40 When you think of this world today, 16:41 that's a good bit of advice. 16:44 In other words, God is saying, I wanna hear from you 16:46 as often as I possibly can. 16:48 So let me put it this way. 16:49 So that God assures that he hears from us 16:51 as often as he can, 16:53 he doesn't always stop every challenge 16:54 that comes our way 16:55 because the reason why we pray 16:58 is not just because we wanna talk. 17:01 But the reason why we pray 17:02 is we should have an innate desire 17:05 to talk to our Heavenly Father. 17:07 When you love somebody, 17:08 don't you wanna talk to them? 17:11 The more you love them, 17:12 the more you wanna talk to them. 17:14 I remember, when I was dating when my wife and I were dating, 17:16 and she's visiting with her mom in Orlando, Florida right now. 17:19 So she's speaking in. 17:20 "Hello, honey." 17:22 But when we were dating, 17:24 we talk all day long on the phone. 17:26 And as soon as I got home, 17:27 phone would ring. 17:29 My dad would say, "Who's calling this late?" 17:32 And he picked up the phone and answers, 17:33 he says, Angie, he said, 17:35 "What on earth do you guys have to talk about?" 17:37 And the beauty of it is when you love somebody, 17:40 you wanna do what? 17:42 You wanna communicate, you wanna talk 17:43 and God is the kind of God sometimes people say, 17:46 "Well, what do I have to pray about?" 17:49 Let me give you advice everything. 17:51 Right? 17:52 What is it? Prayer without ceasing me. 17:54 Talk to me about everything. 17:55 Sometimes people say, well, that's important. 17:57 I've talked to God about that 17:58 but why do I have to talk to God 17:59 about buying it television? 18:01 Well, you may be standing at the counter, 18:03 Lord, should I be doing this, 18:04 and a phone call comes in 18:06 that interrupts you from buying that 18:07 and you find out later on. 18:09 It was $60 less at the next door store. 18:11 And you say if that phone call didn't come in, 18:14 I would have purchased that thing right there. 18:15 Have you ever had that experience? 18:17 Where something interrupts the flow 18:18 of what you're about to do do. 18:20 And then later on, 18:21 I believe that when we get to the kingdom, 18:22 we're gonna see that God has intervened 18:24 in strange and unusual ways into the... 18:27 When I get to the stores 18:29 and we live so far from Carbondale. 18:30 Here I am. 18:31 I'm from New York and I call Carbondale far. 18:35 The longer you live down here, the harder it is to leave town, 18:38 have you noticed that like, 18:40 I know what people are like down here now, 18:42 for those of you who are in the big city 18:43 bear with us, 18:45 but we live in a small town, 18:46 the science says 600, barely that. 18:48 And then West Frankfort, maybe 3000 or so people, 18:52 but the longer you live in these small communities, 18:54 it seems like things get farther 18:56 and farther away. 18:58 But the key is as you stay in touch, 19:01 my point is when I go to Carbondale 19:03 sometimes I'm standing there. 19:05 And I get caught in a gadgetarian moment. 19:09 Which means this new gadget comes out. 19:11 And I'm, I must admit, I'm a gadgetarian. 19:13 And by the way, that phrases, 19:15 that phrase is trademark, 19:16 so don't use it. 19:18 Really. So I'm standing there. 19:21 And I've discovered a way to keep the salesperson 19:24 from forcing me to buy something 19:26 that I don't wanna buy 19:27 because they've been trained 19:29 to make it easy for you, 19:30 you know, have noticed that? 19:32 And so what I always do when they get to that moment 19:34 where it's just about agreeing to one of the payment plans, 19:37 or one of the discounted prices, 19:39 they say if you find it lower, somebody says, well, 19:41 we promise to refund the difference. 19:44 They make it almost impossible to say no. 19:48 And, you know, how I know 19:49 how to get them to just 19:50 not go beyond their last appeal. 19:53 I say to them, yeah, I got to pray about it. 20:00 How many times have you told the salesperson, 20:03 you got to pray about it? 20:04 I have to pray about it, 20:06 my wife and I have to pray about it. 20:10 They're not trained to respond to that. 20:13 They're not, really. 20:15 When you pray about everything, 20:17 when you get to the place 20:18 where you're accustomed to praying, 20:19 when we get in our cars before we leave the driveway, 20:21 what should you do? 20:23 Pray 'cause you may know how to drive, 20:24 but there's another guy that may not know how to drive. 20:27 Matter of fact, I read a statistic 20:28 that really is very alarming. 20:31 How many young people 35,000, 20:35 35,000... 20:41 young people die a year 20:43 through automobile related accidents. 20:46 And the higher percentage of that 20:48 is 18 between 17 to 19 years old. 20:51 And what were they doing? 20:55 Communicating. 20:57 Now if they put the phone down and talk to God, 20:59 I think some of them will still be alive. 21:01 Don't wanna be insensitive about that. 21:03 But I'm saying is the desire to communicate. 21:08 Well, I don't wanna go down that path. 21:09 I don't wanna change the theme of the title tonight. 21:11 But simply this, 21:12 if we communicate with God 21:14 as much as we should, 21:16 then we will find that life's decisions are a lot easier. 21:20 Because we have the assurance not only will He hear us, 21:23 but He will impress upon us. 21:24 He will guide us by His Word 21:26 about the decisions that we have to make. 21:28 And so just don't get pressed 21:30 into the similitude of humanity, 21:32 get pressed into the similitude of God. 21:34 In other words, 21:35 be more desirous to be like Him. 21:37 All right, let's look at the next one. 21:40 Number 19. Number 19. 21:43 It says, "Why are we instructed to stay connected to God 21:47 through prayer?" 21:49 Why is that instruction so vitally important? 21:52 Why are we instructed to stay connected to God 21:55 through prayer? 21:58 When my wife and I are away from home, 22:00 we talk more on the phone, we call all day long. 22:03 Sometimes my phone goes trrr 22:05 and it's a text from her, 22:06 "Love you honey. 22:08 How's it going? 22:09 Don't forget my watch." 22:12 You know, whatever she may need is just we stay in touch. 22:15 Okay, is everything set for tonight. 22:17 She called me before I came, 22:18 is everything already for tonight. 22:20 Yes. It's all set. 22:21 Okay, don't forget, don't forget that. 22:24 Where is it? It's in that closet over there. 22:26 We stay in touch. 22:28 But this question which is so 22:30 such a vitally important question, 22:32 why are we instructed to stay connected to God 22:33 through prayer? 22:35 It reveals the very magnificent human element 22:39 in the everyday world in which we live. 22:42 There's a human element that we cannot deny. 22:45 And as we transition tonight, 22:46 we're gonna look at that human element. 22:48 In the next lesson that we're gonna start in just a moment 22:50 here call face the challenges. 22:53 There's a human element that if we ignore 22:55 that human element, 22:56 then we find ourselves in a greater predicament 22:58 than if we paid attention to that human element? 23:01 So why are we instructed to stay connected 23:03 to God through prayer? 23:04 Look at Mark 14:38. 23:07 Now notice, I wanna break this down. 23:08 Here it is. 23:10 The Bible says, "Watch," 23:12 what's the next thing? 23:13 "And pray, 23:15 lest you enter into temptation. 23:18 The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak." 23:23 Let's not run past that. 23:24 What two things we're told to do? 23:26 First thing is say together, what is it? 23:28 Watch, and what's the next one? Pray. 23:31 Now let me emphasize the word watch. 23:34 You wanna see people watch? 23:35 Bottom of the ninth inning, 23:38 Busch Stadium, 23:39 St. Louis Cardinals, two ball holes, two strikes, 23:44 two outs, 23:45 and one of the home run hitters are up, I bet. 23:48 Everybody's watching, 23:50 shall we say they're praying also. 23:53 All right. I remember that so well. 23:54 October 27, 2011, 23:57 St. Louis Cardinals. 24:00 The Texas Rangers were one strike away 24:02 from their first World Series. 24:05 And the St. Louis Cardinals fans refuse to stop praying. 24:10 I'm sure somebody prayed 24:12 'cause they go through all kinds of rituals. 24:14 Now, I'm not into that category where, 24:16 you know, if you pray that they win 24:18 that God's gonna make them win and make the other guy lose. 24:20 I don't put God into sports like that. 24:22 But I know of a story where there was a town, 24:26 I'm not gonna tell where it was is, 24:27 it's down here in Southern Illinois 24:29 where they wanted their local team to pray. 24:30 And they got together at one of the local churches, 24:33 I don't wanna talk about what denomination was, 24:35 and they have one of the local pastors pray 24:36 that that team will win. 24:38 Well, then what's he actually praying 24:39 for that the other team would lose? 24:41 And that's kind of a precarious position to be in. 24:44 What if, on both the teams, you have church members, 24:48 and one play for this team 24:49 and the other play for that team. 24:51 So he's saying to one church member, 24:52 I'm praying that you lose 24:53 'cause I'm praying that she wins. 24:56 So God is not into the precarious aspects of life, 24:58 but it says, watch and pray 24:59 'cause now here's the human element, 25:02 lest you enter into what? 25:04 Temptation. 25:05 Are we in a world of temptation? 25:07 What's the next aspect? 25:11 Now when it says spirit here, it's the small s, 25:13 meaning the spirit indeed is willing, 25:15 meaning we have a desire to overcome temptation, 25:20 we have a desire to face this temptation with success. 25:23 But what's happening? What's wrong with us? 25:25 The spirit indeed is what? We're willing. 25:28 Help me, Lord. 25:30 But what's the problem? 25:32 The flesh is weak. 25:35 So if you notice the last two questions, 25:37 it talks about the weaknesses. 25:38 We can't get prayer through in our human element, 25:40 but the Spirit of God can. 25:43 In this aspect, it talks about the human spirit, 25:45 compared to the Spirit of God. 25:47 The Spirit of God is capable, 25:48 but the human spirit is willing 25:49 but not able, 25:51 weak. 25:54 That's right, like Romans 7. 25:55 There's a battle going on. 25:57 O wretched man that I am, who will deliver me. 25:59 Matter of fact, very good point. 26:00 Let's go to Romans 7. 26:02 Very good. Very good observation. 26:06 Romans Chapter 7, Paul the Apostle 26:08 makes that very clear. 26:10 He talks about this battle that we all face, 26:12 this consistent battle that shows us 26:16 that no matter how great our intentions are, 26:21 sometimes we fall short of wanting to accomplish. 26:26 Let me start with verse 14. 26:32 Okay, here is it revealing the issue again, 26:34 Romans 7:14, 26:36 is if you have your Bible turn there with us, it says, 26:38 "For we know that the law is," what? 26:41 "Spiritual," but here's the human element again, 26:43 "but I am," what? 26:45 "Carnal, sold under sin." 26:47 And here it is now, "For what I am doing, 26:50 I just don't understand. 26:54 For what I will to do, that I do not practice, 26:58 but what I hate, 27:01 that I do. 27:03 If, then, I do what I will not to do, 27:09 I agree with the law that it is good." 27:11 In other words, what is being said, 27:13 then I wanna stop briefly 27:15 as we just read in verse 15 27:19 and verse 16. 27:22 If I do what I will not do, 27:24 in other words, sometimes we're in a situation 27:26 where we don't want to do that. 27:28 But according to what Mark said, "What's the element, 27:31 our flesh is weak." 27:33 We're at the place where the flesh 27:35 is driving the moment. 27:37 And the flesh is battling with the spiritual stand. 27:40 How to live a spiritual life in a natural body? 27:44 You are in that position where the battle is raging 27:46 and you wanna make the right decision. 27:48 And so you're saying, 27:50 in my will, I don't wanna do that. 27:52 That's why prayer. 27:54 That's why prayer aligns itself 27:57 with what you know you shouldn't do. 28:01 It aligns itself 28:02 and gives you that divine element 28:05 that allows you to not do continually 28:08 what you don't want to do 28:10 because the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. 28:12 So it says here, 28:14 and it shows you what the issue is, 28:16 I'm gonna just go down to verse 17. 28:19 "But now, it is no longer I who do it, 28:21 but sin that dwells," where? 28:23 "In me." 28:24 That contributes to the weakness of the flesh, 28:26 the sin that dwells in us. 28:28 Want to give you a bit of good news 28:29 because sometimes we look at that text and we say, 28:31 well, then what hope is there. 28:34 What hope is there, the hope is down 28:35 to verse 1 of Chapter 8. 28:38 The hope is down at verse 1 of Chapter 8 of Romans. 28:42 "There is therefore now no condemnation 28:44 to those who are in Christ Jesus, 28:47 who do not walk according to the flesh, 28:49 but according to the spirit." 28:51 There it is again, if the spirit is one 28:53 who takes our prayers and gets it through, 28:56 then we've got to walk in the spirit 28:58 so that we don't fulfill the lust of the flesh. 29:00 So how you walk every day 29:02 and how you pray every day is significant 29:04 whether or not you overcome that temptation. 29:06 So is it important for us to pray, 29:09 not just to pray, 29:10 but what else? 29:11 Watch. 29:14 Yeah, you got to watch, you got to watch where you go 29:15 because sometimes think of it in the context 29:17 of the Eve situation. 29:20 If she was watching, 29:22 she would not have been at the tree 29:25 that she should not have been at. 29:26 But the weakness of the flesh 29:30 was the vehicle that led to the tree. 29:33 And a lot of times, if we go by the vehicle of our flesh, 29:36 it will lead us to places that we don't want to be. 29:40 So recognizing that the flesh is weak, 29:42 we've got to pray in the spirit. 29:44 But we also have to do what else? 29:46 According to what we just read, 29:48 we have to not just pray in the spirit, 29:49 but we have to do what else? 29:51 Walk. 29:54 But who walk not according to the flesh, 29:56 but according to the spirit, Romans 8:1. 30:00 So you see clearly the power of prayer. 30:03 The importance of prayer 30:05 in our daily lives cannot be overestimated. 30:08 We've got the Spirit of God 30:10 who's willing to partner with us and say, 30:12 I know you can't do it, but I can. 30:14 You just go ahead and pray and I'll package that prayer. 30:18 And it will be acceptable to your heavenly Father, 30:21 then you recognize the reason why you must pray 30:23 is because although you are willing to do what's right, 30:26 your flesh is not willing, 30:27 your flesh is gonna fight against you, 30:29 your flesh is going to say this is what I wanna do. 30:31 And sometimes and I've talked to people 30:33 that are just battling with, 30:34 you know, coming off of smoking or some kind of addiction, 30:37 whether it's alcoholism, or smoking, 30:40 or whatever the addiction may be. 30:43 Anytime a person is trying to free themselves 30:45 from this addiction, 30:46 what's completely in control is the flesh. 30:49 They got to get entered into the battle. 30:54 There's a battle that's going on, 30:56 the flesh against the spirit. 30:57 That's why Paul says, 30:59 I find that there's another law, 31:01 warring against the law of my mind, 31:03 and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin and death. 31:07 That law of sin and death is that human nature. 31:09 It's fighting us there. 31:11 So when we know that all these elements 31:12 are arrayed against us, 31:14 we have to then walk forward, 31:16 ready to face the challenges. 31:20 See the transition there. 31:21 We're going to the next lesson now, 31:23 Facing the Challenges. 31:25 How do you face the challenges? 31:28 Face the Challenges, 31:30 leading right into the importance of prayer, 31:33 we're armed by the spirit. 31:34 But now in order for us to face the challenges 31:37 we've got to understand fully. 31:40 And some of these questions were in our prior lesson. 31:45 But what I'm doing tonight, 31:47 is we have covered a number of lessons so far, 31:50 we've had a number of broadcasts. 31:52 And so what I'm doing tonight is kind of reminding us 31:55 of the journey we took together. 31:58 To live this spiritual life in the natural body 32:00 we have to understand 32:01 what this natural body is really capable of. 32:05 Right? 32:06 Sometimes we forget that. 32:07 We got to remember what this natural body is capable of. 32:09 I know the person. 32:11 I no longer look at animals 32:13 and determine what they can do by how they look. 32:17 That is if I see a puppy, that's cute. 32:20 I naturally assume now that I'm wiser, 32:23 that puppy could be a Doberman Pinscher 32:25 in disguise. 32:28 I learned that the hard way. 32:30 We have church member in California 32:31 who had a beautiful little all white poodle name, Samson. 32:38 That should have told me something. 32:39 Right? 32:41 When you name a poodle, Samson. 32:43 You know, when they call poodle, Pixie? 32:47 Harmless and cute. 32:48 Some people have dogs that, you know, 32:50 that dog will bark all his life. 32:52 But nobody that the thief would run away. 32:54 But this poodle was named Samson. 32:57 I should have known. 32:59 Read into the name, 33:00 the strongest poodle right there. 33:03 So I no longer try to classify animals 33:07 by how they look. 33:08 On the other side of that, you have Doberman Pinschers 33:11 that look mean. 33:12 Some people say all you got to do 33:14 is get yourself a Doberman. 33:16 People won't question 33:17 whether or not that dog can bite. 33:19 It just has that look, doesn't it? 33:22 German Shepherd. 33:23 It just has that look. 33:25 Some German Shepherds are just as cuddly as Pixie, 33:28 the poodle, 33:30 and they wouldn't bite you no matter what. 33:31 But how they look says a whole lot. 33:35 Well, I got to finish the story with Samson. 33:37 You may have heard it before. 33:38 But I want to pet Sampson 33:40 and I chose the wrong time to pet Samson 33:42 is during the time he was eating. 33:44 And I don't know how dogs can sense it. 33:46 But as my hand got closer 33:47 I heard the small poodle growl. 33:51 And as I got closer, 33:52 he turned around and grip my pinky. 33:53 And he was so little I couldn't shake him off. 33:55 So I actually, had him this high off the ground, 33:58 trying to get him off my pinky. 33:59 Thankfully, it was just the poodle 34:01 because had been another dog or another kind of breed, 34:03 I would have been in trouble. 34:04 He did rip my pinky down a little ways in. 34:06 But it was not so bad that I had to get any surgery. 34:09 But the point of the matter is, 34:11 the reason why facing the challenges this section 34:13 is so vitally important is we cannot, 34:16 we cannot enter into a battle and determine that 34:21 based on what we see, 34:22 we can immediately classify 34:24 what the battle is going to be like. 34:27 Let me even add another component to that. 34:29 We cannot classify that, okay, 34:32 since that person claims to be a Christian, 34:34 then that person has no battles in his or her life. 34:37 Or since that person claims to be a Christian, 34:40 that person must have victory 34:41 after victory after victory after victory after victory. 34:46 And that's what the Pharisees did. 34:48 They looked at those who were harlots, 34:50 and publicans, and tax collectors, 34:52 and sinners. 34:53 And they thought they were well more able 34:56 than those individuals to face temptations 34:58 and to face the challenges 35:00 and succeed in those challenges, 35:01 but they fail to consider what those challenges were. 35:05 So we're gonna take the time, if you're following us along, 35:09 you should have lesson number 11. 35:11 If you're just joining us, 35:12 you can go and download that asf.3abn.org, 35:17 just download lesson number 11. 35:20 And we're gonna walk through some of these challenges. 35:22 If you notice, as you download that, 35:24 and if you already have, 35:25 we have two particular categories, 35:28 first, the human condition, 35:30 and then the divine change, you notice that. 35:34 Two subs, we're gonna begin with the human condition, 35:36 we're gonna start with the human condition. 35:38 Once you understand your condition, 35:41 you know, as one person said, 35:44 "If you're caught in an earthquake, 35:46 another coat of paint is not gonna help." 35:49 Don't take out a can of paint in the middle of an earthquake 35:51 and start painting the walls, it's just not gonna help. 35:53 Right? 35:55 If you have a tumor, a pill is not gonna help. 35:57 You get my point? 35:59 Understand the challenges. 36:00 If your house is on fire, don't get a cup of water 36:02 and start spitting at it. 36:04 Understand the challenges. 36:05 So what we're gonna do is we're gonna walk 36:06 through the challenges. 36:08 And these challenges are native to all of us. 36:10 These challenges are native to every one of us. 36:13 So when we talk about these challenges, 36:15 try your best to resist the temptation of saying, 36:18 I know who should have heard that. 36:20 I know exactly who that applies to, 36:22 just wanna let you know before we dive into it. 36:24 These challenges apply to everyone 36:26 that's on this planet. 36:28 And by the way, just wanna add to that, 36:30 for those of you who think that we are being visited 36:33 from other worlds. 36:35 If I lived on another world, 36:36 I wouldn't wanna come down here, 36:38 okay. 36:39 Am I risking robbed or beat up. 36:41 Here people on unfallen worlds are now visiting us down here. 36:45 If we're in a mess, 36:46 and we're gonna discover that how much of a mess 36:48 we really are in 36:50 but before we go to the first question, 36:51 let's go to Isaiah. 36:54 I want you to see Isaiah. 36:57 We're going to Isaiah. 36:59 Now we're going to go to Isaiah Chapter 24. 37:09 And we're gonna look at verse 1... 37:15 down to verse 5, 37:18 since we're talking about earth. 37:25 And the Bible reads as follows, 37:26 "Behold, the Lord makes the earth empty 37:29 and makes it waste." 37:33 This is talking about the judgments. 37:35 "Distorts its surface 37:37 and scatters abroad its inhabitants. 37:40 And it shall be as with the people, 37:43 so with the priests, 37:46 as with the servants, so with the master, 37:49 as with the maid, so with the mistress, 37:52 as with the buyer, so with the seller, 37:55 as with the lender, so with the borrower, 37:58 as with the creditor, so with the debtor." 38:01 You notice right now, nobody is left out. 38:03 Whatever happens down here applies to everyone. 38:06 That's why this section to human condition 38:08 is gonna be so interesting. 38:09 What happens on this planet applies to everyone. 38:12 When judgments come, it comes to the debtor, 38:15 it comes to the creditor, it comes to the borrower, 38:17 it comes to the lender. 38:19 But now look at verse 3. 38:23 "The land shall be entirely emptied 38:25 and utterly plundered. 38:27 For the Lord has spoken this word." 38:31 And it tells you why, the condition is as it is. 38:34 "The earth mourns and fades away, 38:37 the world languishes and fades away, 38:40 the haughty people of the earth languish." 38:43 And here's why. 38:45 "The earth also is defiled... 38:48 The earth is also defiled under its," what? 38:53 "Inhabitants." 38:55 Are you an inhabitant? 38:56 You an inhabitant? Are you an inhabitant? 38:59 "The earth is defiled under its inhabitants, 39:03 because they have," what's the next word? 39:06 "Transgressed the laws, 39:09 changed the ordinances, 39:11 broken the everlasting covenant." 39:15 And you'll see in the next verse, 39:16 "Therefore the earth is cursed." 39:18 So what's gonna happen? 39:19 What we're gonna uncover in this very next section, 39:21 is we're gonna uncover the human condition, 39:25 the condition that affects every one of us. 39:28 Okay, now, let's start with question number one. 39:31 Let's see how much we can cover tonight. 39:32 Question number one. 39:34 Here it is. 39:35 What does the Bible reveal that applies to all of us? 39:40 What does the Bible reveal that applies to all of us? 39:44 Romans 3:23. 39:46 And by the way, 39:47 you can turn there before 39:48 I asked for it because as you have the lesson, 39:50 you'll see the natural progression 39:51 from 1 to 19 chronologically, 39:55 right? 39:58 Romans 3:23, 40:00 I want us to read this together 40:01 because the first two words are inclusive, 40:04 it's an inclusive statement. 40:06 Are we ready? 40:08 "For all have done," what? 40:12 "Sinned and fall short of the glory of God." 40:18 So how many of us are included in that? 40:21 That's right. Everyone, all of us. 40:25 One of the things that is so vitally important, 40:28 I'm saying this, 40:29 I think mostly, our viewing audience 40:31 is probably made up of many Christians, 40:33 there's probably somebody viewing 40:34 that's not a Christian, 40:36 and this applies to you too. 40:37 But if you're a Christian, 40:39 don't exclude yourself from this verse. 40:41 Because the Christian and the non-Christian 40:43 is included in this verse, 40:45 "For all have sinned 40:46 and fall short of the glory of God." 40:47 Now what does that actually mean? 40:49 What that means is we inherited something 40:51 that we had nothing to do with. 40:53 But we just inherited that. 40:55 In other words, in Adam's will, he passed on to us His nature, 40:59 we had nothing to do with that. We had no decision. 41:01 Matter of fact, 41:03 children cannot choose who their parents are. 41:05 Right? 41:07 So we can only pass on what our father gave to us. 41:10 What our mother gave. 41:11 Adam and Eve sinned, 41:13 we know Eve was deceived, 41:15 Adam walked into it with his eyes wide open. 41:18 Right? 41:20 But we have this condition that was passed on. 41:22 And as Romans 5, 41:23 look at Romans 5 very quickly here. 41:25 We're gonna do some additional texts 41:27 because this is Romans 3. 41:28 But if you go to Romans 5, 41:31 I want you to see this verse here. 41:40 You'll see exactly the inclusion, 41:42 the inclusion aspects of this verse, 41:43 Romans 5:12, Romans 5:12. 41:47 Right? 41:49 "Therefore, just as through," how many? 41:52 "One man sin entered the world, 41:56 and death through sin, 41:58 and thus death spread to," the next word? 42:02 "All men, because all sinned." 42:05 So you have all sinful, for all have sinned, 42:10 and fall short of the glory of God. 42:12 So you have this condition that lets us know, 42:15 on your best day, 42:17 you still fall into this category. 42:19 No matter, what you do, 42:20 no matter how you try to change your circumstances, 42:22 you've got to wake up at the reality 42:24 that I'm in that category, 42:26 as God is continuing to reform me and remake me, 42:28 never get to the place 42:30 where we fool ourselves and say, 42:31 I'm no longer in that category. 42:33 Let me tell you why you're still in that category. 42:35 Until this vile body is made over to be fashioned 42:39 like unto His glorious body, 42:41 we've got a flesh battle every day, 42:44 am I telling the truth? 42:45 And it manifests itself in different ways. 42:48 So never get to the place where you say, 42:49 "Well, you know, I've been a man, 42:51 I've been a Christian for 35 years." 42:52 Now praise God, 42:53 there are victories in our lives. 42:55 Truly, they are. 42:56 I would hope that if you were struggling 42:58 with tobacco, or alcohol, or whatever, promiscuity, 43:01 whatever was that you were battling with 43:02 before you gave your life to Christ. 43:04 I'm hoping that as we mature and grow in Christ, 43:07 that we've overcome those things. 43:09 But the reason why we shouldn't boast 43:10 about the big things we overcome, 43:11 is because sometimes the little things 43:13 just hang on a whole lot longer. 43:15 Have you noticed that? 43:17 It's easier to take a basketball off your shoulders 43:19 than it is to remove a piece of lint. 43:22 Am I telling the truth? 43:24 And you don't necessarily see it. 43:26 Sometimes people come up to me 43:27 and they just stick their hand and go like this. 43:30 And I look, what was it? 43:31 You had a lint on your jacket, I didn't see it. 43:33 And that's how sin is, it's like lint, 43:36 you could just get that lint brush 43:38 and roll all over that jacket. 43:41 You could be there all day long because every time you roll it, 43:44 what else you're gonna get? 43:45 You're still gonna get lint. 43:48 In the very same way, it's a part of the human DNA, 43:51 the very fabric of our lives. 43:53 We've inherited it from a man who passed down to us 43:56 the best he could, for as an Adam all die. 43:58 1 Corinthians 15:22. 44:00 So that's why we have this issue here. 44:02 All have sinned. 44:03 So if you're answering the question, 44:04 what does the Bible reveal that is true about all of us? 44:07 What's the answer? 44:08 All have sinned. 44:12 Don't even have to put the other part 44:13 because if you sinned, you fall short. 44:15 All have sinned. 44:23 I'm gonna hold you out over the flames 44:25 until we get down to question number eight 44:28 'cause some people says, man, this is depressing. 44:31 It show me who I really am. 44:33 Until we know what our condition is, 44:35 we never know what our need is. 44:37 See, you got understand your condition. 44:39 I've known people that struggle with toothaches. 44:42 And I say, you okay, because they just, 44:44 "you okay," let's continue." 44:47 You all right? 44:48 I've toothache. 44:50 Well, can't be that bad. 44:51 Oh, it's terrible. 44:53 My head is just aching over here. 44:54 And standing right next to me, I said, like, 44:56 have you heard of a dentist 44:57 they've been invented years ago. 44:59 And there's some people that will struggle with sin 45:01 and not know the remedy is right there, 45:04 a prayer away. 45:05 The remedy is Christ. 45:06 So this verse says, 45:08 the reason why we need to understand 45:09 who the remedy is, 45:11 who the problem solver is, 45:12 is because every one of us is in the category, 45:14 for all have sinned. 45:15 All right. 45:17 Let's go to question number two. 45:19 Question number two. 45:22 How does the Bible describe 45:24 the internal condition of humanity? 45:27 How does the Bible describe 45:30 the internal condition of humanity? 45:34 All right. 45:35 Let's look at that one. 45:37 That's found in Jeremiah 17:9, 45:39 those of you who are theologians 45:41 know exactly what that text says. 45:43 Right? The internal condition. 45:47 Sometimes whenever I'm going on long distance, 45:49 you know, what I always do. 45:51 Even though my car is fairly new, 45:53 it's four years old now, 45:54 I still check the oil. 45:57 I check the fluids, I check the brake fluid, 46:00 I check the oil, 46:02 I check the hydraulic fluid, 46:04 I check the radiator, balance, make sure that is at that line, 46:07 the minimal line at least 46:09 because I've seen some beautiful cars broken down 46:13 on the side of the road. 46:14 And the other day, my wife and I were driving. 46:17 And I saw an Audi on the side of the road, I thought, 46:20 that car looks really brand new, 46:22 practically new. 46:24 But I've known people that have bought cars 46:25 and ignored the warning of checking your oil, 46:29 take it in the first service, 46:32 they ignore all those things, 46:33 make a run a brand new car into the ground really fast. 46:36 All it takes for you to kill a car 46:39 is not put oil in it for seven months. 46:42 No matter how much you pay for it is gonna, what? 46:45 It's gonna what? 46:46 It's gonna die. 46:48 That engine will cease 46:49 just as surely as there's no oil in it. 46:53 We have to understand the internal condition. 46:54 Our lives are sometimes are ceased 46:57 because we don't take care of the internal condition. 47:00 What is the internal condition? 47:01 Jeremiah 17:9, 47:03 it reads as follows. 47:05 We went to from the whole life. 47:07 Now we're going down to the intricate parts. 47:09 What does it say, "The heart is," what? 47:12 "Deceitful above," what? 47:14 "All things, 47:16 and kind of wicked, 47:19 desperately wicked, 47:21 who can know it?" 47:24 I know that we don't fall into that category. 47:25 But sometimes, 47:27 we will do things that even will surprise us. 47:30 Right? 47:31 Isn't that's true? 47:32 Sometimes we do things that surprise us. 47:34 That's why you have to really, 47:35 you got to kind of, 47:37 I like that text in where Paul says, 47:38 examine yourselves, examine yourselves, 47:42 we've got to examine our conversation, 47:44 we've got to examine our viewing habits, 47:47 we've got to examine our reading habits, 47:49 we've got to examine the things that we expose ourselves to 47:52 because what happens is we're either contributing 47:54 to the freedom of our condition, 47:56 or we're contributing to the degradation 47:58 of our condition. 47:59 I mean, you cannot ignore any of the warnings 48:01 or the manufacturer's suggested procedures 48:04 to follow in your car. 48:06 You can't ignore any of that 48:08 and expect your car to run as well as it does. 48:10 Sometimes it could be something 48:12 as simple as your tire pressure. 48:13 Have you ever wondered about that? 48:15 They're driving and you will just keeps going like that, 48:16 and you wonder, what's wrong with my car. 48:19 I mean, I vacuumed it out, 48:20 I washed it, what's wrong with the car, 48:22 something bigger than dust, 48:24 something worse than dirt. 48:26 And you pull up in the service station. 48:28 And what happens is the tire pressure, 48:31 I know somebody who... 48:33 Won't tell you who it is, 48:34 but they were driving, 48:36 they drove from home to work at 3ABN 48:40 with only three pounds of air pressure in their tire. 48:43 Now for those of you who know what that means, 48:45 that's practically a flat tire, 48:47 sorry, that is a flat tire, 48:49 you get three pounds just from friction on the road. 48:52 But they didn't check. 48:55 And thankfully, there was a divine element. 48:57 You see, sometimes God takes care of those of us. 48:59 Sometimes God watches us in our ignorant moments, 49:02 when we are honestly ignorant about something. 49:04 The hand of God is still merciful. 49:06 Every morning, there's new mercy, right? 49:08 So in that situation, 49:10 God was watching out that nothing happened. 49:11 Nothing critical happened, 49:12 no accident, nothing of the sort. 49:14 However, when it comes to the human condition, 49:17 it is within our responsibility 49:20 to check out our condition 49:22 because either we're contributing to our hearts 49:24 for the good, 49:25 or we're contributing to the heart 49:27 to maintain the evil stance that already has. 49:30 And I wanna tell you this, 49:31 you could make your heart more wicked, 49:34 it's already desperately wicked. 49:36 But it could become even more wicked, 49:39 'cause you read the Book of Genesis. 49:40 I think it's Genesis Chapter 6 where the Bible says, 49:43 "The thoughts and intents of their hearts 49:45 were only evil," how long? 49:47 "Continually." 49:48 So you get this evil heart. 49:50 It's like getting a wicked dog, say getting a dog, 49:52 that just like a horse 49:54 that just doesn't wanna be broken. 49:56 And so you just leave it out in the yard, 49:57 it's gonna get broken? 49:59 No. 50:00 People that break horses, 50:01 and they know you have to do work to break a horse in. 50:04 In the very same way 50:05 the human heart has to be worked 50:07 to break that heart in. 50:10 God can do it in a way that no man can do it. 50:12 And there are things that we can do 50:14 by prayer, by study, 50:15 by committing ourselves to Christ. 50:17 I would say there be less broken hearts. 50:19 There will be 50:21 if there are more people willing to worship 50:22 and study their Bibles 50:24 and get together in fellowship 50:25 and get together into study of the Word moments like these. 50:28 Less desperately wicked hearts, 50:30 more hearts being freed moment by moment. 50:33 That's the condition of the heart. 50:34 Let's look at question number three. 50:36 I think that's where we are, isn't that right? 50:38 Question number three. 50:39 So if you put the, how does the Bible describe 50:41 the internal condition of humanity? 50:45 What you put there? 50:48 That's right, 50:49 heart is deceitful and desperately wicked. 50:51 And when it says heart, it's not just saying, 50:54 if your heart is bad, your thoughts are bad. 50:57 The Bible speaks about them interchangeably. 50:59 But sometimes the Bible speaks about them as separate. 51:01 And it often uses the phrase or the word heart, 51:04 to mean the deep seated issues of life, 51:07 for out of the abundance of the heart, 51:09 the mouth speaks. 51:11 In the heart 51:12 is where the issues of life are stored 51:15 because when we say I heart you, 51:17 we don't say I mind you. 51:18 Right? 51:20 Because I mean, I'm just thinking about you, 51:21 but when we say heart you, that means what? 51:22 I love you. 51:24 That's the seed of all affections. 51:25 Okay, remember that? 51:27 So let's... 51:28 What are we told about our natural desires? 51:29 Question three. 51:31 What are we told about our natural desires 51:32 to do what is right? 51:34 What are we told about our natural desires 51:36 to do what is right? 51:37 Psalm 14:3. 51:39 Psalm 14:3, 51:41 is where we find the answer. 51:44 Sometimes people think it's natural to do right. 51:46 That's why I often say, 51:47 don't get content to just hang around spiritual places, 51:51 you've got to have a spiritual experience 51:53 because you won't turn into a horse 51:55 by hanging out into a barn 51:57 anymore than you turn into a Christian 51:58 by hanging out into a church. 52:01 We're hanging out in a church. 52:02 You can eat right, you can sing the right songs, 52:05 you can go to church on the right day 52:07 that is the holy day of worship, 52:08 you can go to church every day. 52:11 But being in the right place and singing the right songs, 52:17 we have to come and face the reality 52:18 that there's something about us 52:20 that is not natural. 52:21 And that thing that is not natural about us 52:23 is doing right. 52:24 We don't naturally wanna do right. 52:27 That's why when you see children doing wrong, 52:29 don't ever think they're gonna grow out of it. 52:31 Children don't grow out of evil, 52:33 they grow into it even more deeply. 52:36 Do you know that if you're a parent? 52:37 Do you know that, right? 52:39 Children don't grow out of evil, they grow. 52:40 And so if it's cute when they're little, 52:42 it's gonna become ugly 52:44 when they be turned to teenager, 52:45 you got to work on that thing when they're young 52:47 'cause children don't grow out of evil, 52:48 they grow into it. 52:49 So here's what the Bible says. 52:51 What are we told about our natural desire 52:53 to do what is right? 52:54 Psalm 14:3, reads as follows. 52:56 Speaking about us, and what I want you to notice 52:58 this continual thread here, 52:59 the word all, all, all shows up all night long. 53:03 Here's what it says. 53:04 "They have all done," what? 53:06 "Turned aside, 53:08 they have together become corrupt, 53:12 there is none who does good, no, not one." 53:18 Okay, so now let me ask a question. 53:19 I'm gonna do a survey now. 53:21 Those of you who are at home, 53:22 send pictures of your responses, 53:24 you can email them, not really I need that. 53:26 But how many of us have done good, 53:29 raise your hand? 53:33 Now you want to ask, you want to ask. 53:35 So how is good being done? 53:37 "For it is God who works in you 53:40 both to will and to do of His good pleasure." 53:44 Amen to that. 53:45 When you become a Christian, you realize, 53:47 wait a minute, wait a minute. 53:50 I naturally wouldn't help people like that. 53:53 So what happened? 53:54 When we start noticing 53:55 the good showing up in our lives, 53:57 we have to remember 53:58 that the word good is God extended, 54:01 G-O-O, God is G-O-D. 54:05 Good is G-O-O-D, 54:07 the extension of God is good. 54:11 And as Pastor C.A said, 54:13 when you will discover God is not good all the time. 54:17 In bad times God is great. 54:19 See, I like that. 54:21 I appreciate it when he said that. 54:23 Kind of got me nervous 54:24 when he preached that, he said, 54:25 I don't say that God is good all the time anymore 54:27 'cause he's not. 54:28 Any pause right there just about, 54:30 people want to stand up and say, 54:31 "Now, Pastor C.A., don't go down that road." 54:34 I don't know where you gonna go with that next. 54:35 But be careful what you say about God 54:37 'cause He is good. 54:38 He said, "No, God is great in bad times." 54:41 Isn't that right? 54:42 Kind of, He turns the heat up. 54:44 He turns up his love 54:45 when we really need it when we are fairly cold, 54:47 He puts that heating blanket of divinity all around us. 54:51 And we see that God is good. 54:52 But it says here, 54:53 "God is good all the time, 54:55 but God is great in bad times." 54:57 But what about us? 54:58 What about me, Lord? 55:00 Sorry, none that does good. 55:04 Put your finger down. No, not one. 55:07 So every one of us is in need. 55:08 So we're looking at the human condition. 55:10 We've so far discovered we've all sinned, 55:12 we have a wicked heart. 55:14 None of us have done anything good. 55:15 We've all gone at different directions. 55:18 We're gonna dive down to the next one now, 55:19 number four. 55:21 So if you put the questions answer there, 55:22 what are we told about our natural desire 55:24 to do what is right? 55:25 What's our natural desire? 55:27 We don't have one. 55:28 Our natural desire is not to do what's right. 55:30 Our natural desire is to do what's wrong. 55:33 None of us like to do good. 55:35 That's why some people, 55:38 you know, when they're at home, and you could ask, 55:42 it happens in church. 55:44 Would you love to study the Bible? 55:46 Sure. 55:48 But I'm not coming out to do that. 55:51 Look at number four. Look at number four. 55:55 Okay, and the question is. 55:58 How does the Bible describe our longing for God? 56:05 How does the Bible describe our longing for God? 56:09 I'm gonna say our natural longing, 56:11 I'm gonna go to this one, almost immediately. 56:15 We don't have a... 56:17 So far if you're looking at us 56:19 the way we are born, 56:20 if the condition I'm revealing to you 56:22 is the condition that we were inheritors of, 56:26 from the time we were born, 56:28 and so far, there's nothing good. 56:29 So if you look at your family tree, 56:31 your family tree should have been cut down 56:32 a long time ago. 56:33 Nothing good there, bad roots, bad fruits. 56:39 But what has happened with our... 56:40 What about our desire for longing for God? 56:44 Here's what the Bible says, Isaiah 53:6, 56:47 together, what's the first word, Greg? 56:50 "All we like sheep have gone astray, 56:54 we have turned," what's the next phrase? 56:56 "Everyone, to his own way, 56:59 and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us." 57:04 Oh, that verse began with all, ended with all. 57:06 How many of us are in problems? 57:08 All of us. 57:09 How many of us have gone our own way? 57:11 All of us. 57:12 How many of us need help? 57:14 All of us. 57:15 How many of us need that divine element 57:17 to change our lives? 57:19 Say it again? All of us. 57:20 So you see, 57:22 when we think about the fact 57:23 that this verse included one hopeful word, 57:26 and that hopeful word is sheep. 57:29 If you're a sheep, you got a shepherd. 57:31 If you can say what David the Psalmist says, 57:33 "The Lord is my shepherd." 57:36 So there's some hope for the sheep. 57:37 They go astray, they can't find their way. 57:40 They get cold in the dark of night. 57:42 That's why here at A Sharper Focus 57:43 we believe that focusing on the things 57:45 that really do matter is where we find our strength, 57:48 where we find our encouragement 57:50 and where we truly do find a way 57:53 to live a spiritual life in a natural body. 57:55 So continue studying, 57:56 we'll continue this topic on a later date. 57:58 But keep studying God's Word and what you can understand 58:01 will come into A Sharper Focus. 58:03 God bless you. |
Revised 2019-06-20